Steamboat Bill, Jr.

"The Laugh Special of the Age. See It."

1928 1h 10m EN

🙌

7.6

BANGER

★7.6TMDB · 410

ComedyRomance

Synopsis

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The just-out-of-college, effete son of a no-nonsense steamboat captain comes to visit his father whom he's not seen since he was a child.

“The Laugh Special of the Age. See It.”

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Cast

Buster Keaton
Steamboat Bill Jr.
Tom McGuire
John King
Ernest Torrence
Steamboat Bill Sr.
Tom Lewis
Tom Carter
Marion Byron
Kitty King
James T. Mack
Minister (uncredited)
Ford West
Barber (uncredited)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Charles Reisner
Writers: Carl Harbaugh, Buster Keaton, Carl Harbaugh
Languages: No Language
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 70-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

98 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Charles Reisner, shot by Devereaux Jennings. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Sherman Kell shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Buster Keaton and Tom McGuire and Ernest Torrence carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The Laugh Special of the Age. See It.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0019421 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Charles Reisner directs. Devereaux Jennings behind the camera. Sherman Kell cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in No Language.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 70-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
298 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Charles Reisner, shot by Devereaux Jennings. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Editor Sherman Kell shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Buster Keaton and Tom McGuire and Ernest Torrence carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "The Laugh Special of the Age. See It.".
8IMDB entry: tt0019421 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 20 themes, including "wind", "river", "girlfriend", "jail".
10Released under 17 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Devereaux Jennings
Editing: Sherman Kell
Runtime: 70 min · 1h 10m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928)

Also by

Charles Reisner

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-06-06
★ 7/10
"Steamboat Bill" (Ernest Torrence) gets a letter from his son - whom he hasn't seen for many years - saying he is coming to visit. Excitedly, he and his first mate "Tom" go to meet the train... What they meet, after a few mishaps, is a young man who looks more like a Parisian onion seller than a strapping man of the river! Add to this, that it turns out "Willie" (Buster Keaton) is also sweet on the daughter "Kitty" (Marion Byron) of dad's local arch enemy "JJ King" (Tom McGuire) and the poor old fella's disappointment is complete. Loads of daft shenanigans follow as the young man tries to impress his beau, her father, his own father and just about everyone else - largely failing in the attempt until his dad ends up incarcerated. The general rule here is - if it can go wrong for "Willie", it will - but it goes wrong devilishly well. The humour is, mostly, cleverly woven into a story with plenty of action, and a little romance. Admittedly, it does feature some slapstick - not my favourite form of comedy - but it is timed to such perfection as to be more art than acting; and once the tumultuous storm descends at the end, the staging effects are cleverly devised and, of course - there are opportunities a-plenty for our young lad to learn how to tie complicated nautical knots; pilot the steamship and come to the rescue...! This is great fun; and demonstrates the athleticism of the star marvellously. There are only 5 folks in this, and they all pull their weight - it's really good.

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